There has been much talk of late about the decline of the Hong Kong market for initial public offerings. The volume of new listings is down. These days, deals that venture into marketing seem as likely to get pulled as to be priced. Most problematically, many IPOs that successfully close keep trading in the red. read
Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical has secured a green light from both the China Securities Regulatory Commission and the authorities in Hong Kong for its long-awaited initial public offering on HKEx, which means that launch could start soon. read
HONG KONG (Dow Jones Banking Intelligence) – Hong Kong’s securities watchdog, the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), is understood to be about to issue a new consultation paper, in which it will propose tougher due diligence requirements – as well as harsher sanctions for IPO sponsors that fail to follow them. This is likely to face opposition on the part of the securities industry, although since banker-bashing remains in fashion, the new rules should ultimately see the light of day.
I was interviewed by Bernie Lo and Emily Chan at CNBC and Rishaad Salamat at Bloomberg TV today on Haitong Securities’ IPO debut in Hong Kong. After an initial jump of 0.75%, the shares soon started to trade below the offer price. read
Bookbuilding closed late last week for the re-launched initial public offering of Haitong Securities, the mainland’s third-largest broker by revenue, bringing welcome activity to a lacklustre Hong Kong new issue market. read
Banker bashing is in fashion. After all, the excesses and collapses of Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers and RBS crystallised the sub-prime crisis in the United States and Britain. And blaming well-paid, banking executives for the woes of a long-suffering majority with “real jobs” is a message that resonates well with voters, especially in an election year. read
HONG KONG (Dow Jones Banking Intelligence) – Thailand’s Big C Supercenter PCL is planning to raise capital through the issue of new shares in a fairly modest private placement. Following the recent successful IPO of Tesco Lotus Retail Growth Freehold & Leasehold Property Fund, controlled by Tesco plc’s Thai unit, it should instead increase its free float through a larger, fully marketed offering, including a combination of new and old shares. read
The Hong Kong market for initial public offerings is as dull and dank as swamp water. Some deals have even been pulled, which means the line of listing applicants just gets longer. read
I was quoted in an article in the Financial Times by Paul J. Davies, Robert Cookson and Sarah Mishkin entitled “Investors hang fire over Asia’s IPO pipeline”, on 2 April 2012. read
I was interviewed this morning again on RTHK 3’s early morning radio programme “Hong Kong Today” by Andrew Wood on the subject of IPOs. read
